"Wake Fall"

[Kansas_Jones 0]

06.29.08

USS Agincourt NCC-81762

“Wake Fall”

 

It had been a long day.

 

The shift cycle had gone well into the second shift, and Kansas had just finished up with the security prep work for the reception that Operations was planning for the Secretary of State and the accompanying government staff. She had sent Master Chief Keltex his orders, with instructions to pick five of his best officers from the enlisted ranks to guard and maintain the perimeter around the reception. The Master Chief would man his own position within the gathering and be the lead guard in charge of keeping the ‘party’ safe for the duration.

 

The Caitian security commander and 2XO had handed off the Holmes investigation regarding the incident in the VIP corridor to her commissioned line officers. It wasn’t proper for her to conduct the investigation herself because she had been one of the parties involved in the altercation. She did know that Holmes had regained consciousness long enough in the medical bay to make a few crazed and disparaging rants about what aliens could go do with themselves, and then the docs had sedated him again. Kansas was betting Holmes was either suffering from battle fatigue or survivor shock, and just snapped, but the bottom line was the man was unstable now for whatever reason. She was half hoping they’d leave his sorry rear end on Rigel so the Fleet authorities could pick him up later.

 

She had retreated to her quarters, not really up to facing any crowds in the main mess. The feline had eaten, but it was more out of the necessity of not falling flat on the decking from lack of nutrition rather then any real desire to eat. She pushed a piece of chicken around the plate with an extended claw, not really seeing anything as her thoughts wandered.

 

The chime to her quarters sounded, and Kansas half leapt out of her furred skin. She ended up a good four feet or so away from the small dining alcove and over by the coffee table, with her tail and neck ruff flared out.

 

Jumpy cat. No, really?

 

This was it. The ships second officer firing shots with a plasma stun disruptor at an enlisted officer in the corridors was generally considered a bad thing even if the non com had gone bat sh*t. But, chances are there was a commanding Shark on the other side of the doorway, who wanted some answers. In fact, there might be a good chance two commanding Sharks standing were on the other side waiting for some answers from their feline. The young Caitian officer glanced up toward the ceiling plating. No, no thunderclouds were preceding the visitor(s). Maybe the scheduled Retribution Lightning of Zap would travel through the service corridors or something and then nail the feline.

 

Kansas wore her black duty trousers and blue hued short sleeved uniform undershirt, and half considered throwing on her gold uniform jacket which had been tossed over the back of one of the cushy chairs in the quarters. She nixed the thought and then just gave up and called out an “enter!” to whoever was waiting to enter. Dressed for your own funeral? Say what?

 

The visitor was not a raven haired bad ass or a pointy eared mind hopper. It was a silver haired old enlisted razorback of a Klingon who stomped into the feline’s quarters and without any preamble just fired off a few questions to her.

 

“Commander Kitten, I will only ask this once and off the record: was it self defense and did you really shoot him in the back?”

 

Her answer was prompt. “Aye Master Chief. Holmes jumped me. I had told Sin Condacin earlier that I fired with intent to kill him, but that’s not really true. I just wanted to get away from him, and the easiest method was to twist away from his forward attack, come up behind him, and discharge the plasma round into his back as the most convenient target.”

 

“And this cricket disruptor you used? It was a stun charge only?”

 

“Aye. Heavy grade plasma stun rounds diluted with some sedative grade gel packs.”

 

An eyebrow rose in surprise. “I had no idea you had such knowledge of back alley ordnance.”

 

An ear flipped back. “It’s not exactly an on the level ballistics knowledge, so why spread it around.”

 

“ … I’m pleased that you were carrying the disruptor actually.”

 

Now it was Kansas’s turn to be slightly surprised, and she cocked her head to one side in a silent question.

 

“If you hadn’t had the weapon, you might have reverted to your primordial weapons – fangs and claws. If you had instinctively ripped Holmes’s throat out … do I need to go on?”

 

A golden paw waved through the air in agreement that no, the big Klingon mentor did not need to explain further. “Do me a favor and send that point of theory by memo to the Sharks or something.”

 

“You know as well as I do that I don’t have the authority to become involved with this situation. There has been no word yet?”

 

“No. But, I do keep looking for the harbinger lightning to strike me down or something.”

 

Master Chief Keltex managed a toothy smile for his younger senior officer counterpart at the joke, and held out a padd to her.

 

“What’s this?” She nimbly snatched the padd from his big meaty hand.

 

“My response to your orders and the names and profiles of the non coms I plan on using for the reception guard as well as the general outline of the plans I will employ for the protective measures. I also cc’d Lieutenant Commander Condacin, Colonels Harper and Day, and the security line officers.”

 

Kansas quickly perused the data contents of the padd and she pleased with the outline and personnel; she nodded her approval and handed the digital recorder back to the big Klingon officer. “It looks good to me Keltex. And you are cleared for whatever resources you need.”

 

“Very good. I will take my leave from you now. Commander Kitten?”

 

“Master Chief?”

 

“Try and get some rest. You look like you went for a galactic tour on the Barge of the Dead.”

 

You have no idea … then again, maybe he does. “I will Keltex, and thank you. Dismissed.”